creaking noise in stem/headset

Hi,

The stem on my Cannondale T800 is creaking when I twist the handlebar along
the stem axis (when riding hard for example). The bolts are already very
tight so I don't think the problem comes from that.

I was thinking about applying a bit of grease (or wd40?) between the stem
and the steering column and the handlebar, but I have read conflicting
advice about doing this. Some people say you should never grease a
threadless headset whereas other say that a big of grease helps with
creaking noises. I don't have a carbon steerer (I think it's just steel or
aluminium) so maybe grease is ok?

Cheers,
Arnaud.

in message , Arnaud
') wrote:

Hi,

The stem on my Cannondale T800 is creaking when I twist the handlebar
along the stem axis (when riding hard for example). The bolts are
already very tight so I don't think the problem comes from that.

My Cannondale (Jekyll) stem (or handlebar) also creaks horribly under
similar circumstances. I had honestly not thought of grease to cure it,
but I may try. Let us know how you get on.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; lovely alternative to rice.

Arnaud wrote:

Hi,

The stem on my Cannondale T800 is creaking when I twist the handlebar along
the stem axis (when riding hard for example). The bolts are already very
tight so I don't think the problem comes from that.

I was thinking about applying a bit of grease (or wd40?) between the stem
and the steering column and the handlebar, but I have read conflicting
advice about doing this. Some people say you should never grease a
threadless headset whereas other say that a big of grease helps with
creaking noises. I don't have a carbon steerer (I think it's just steel or
aluminium) so maybe grease is ok?

Cheers,
Arnaud.




This usually comes from the place where the stem meets the steerer tube.
Definitely remove the stem, grease the outside surface, and replace the
stem. This will not cause any harm at all. Failing to do this may cause
harm, so do it.

The noise sometimes comes from the place where the handlebar meets the
stem. This can be less convenient to grease.

These noises often come from much more mysterious places, such as the
place where the pedal meets the crankarm. Soemtimes, it's the saddle.
And you could swear it's coming from a different area of the bike.

Lubricating these surfaces is never harmful.

Tom Reingold
Noo Joizy

Arnaud opined the following...
The stem on my Cannondale T800 is creaking when I twist the handlebar along
the stem axis (when riding hard for example). The bolts are already very
tight so I don't think the problem comes from that.

I was thinking about applying a bit of grease (or wd40?) between the stem
and the steering column and the handlebar, but I have read conflicting
advice about doing this. Some people say you should never grease a
threadless headset whereas other say that a big of grease helps with
creaking noises. I don't have a carbon steerer (I think it's just steel or
aluminium) so maybe grease is ok?

In my experience, modern Aluminium bikes seem to be far more prone to
developing random creaks. I can elminate those associated with my bike
by stripping the stem and handlebars and applying copper grease to all
surfaces before retightening. Other places where this works are seatpost
and saddle rails. And if you have Aluminium STI lugs on the frame and
the steel ends on the outer, dirt can get in the gap and produce some
amazing creaks when turning.

Which reminds me that I need to do all this again as my Giant is
currently creaking like an old ship!

Jon

Arnaud wrote:
Hi,

The stem on my Cannondale T800 is creaking when I twist the handlebar along
the stem axis (when riding hard for example). The bolts are already very
tight so I don't think the problem comes from that.


Before you mess with this just check that the QR on the front wheel is
really tight. My headset creak went completely when I did this. I was
surprised as I was certain it was the head set.

--chris

Ok, I've tried a bit of grease on the steering column, handlebar, and all
the nuts and bolts but the creaks are still there, it seems even worse...

It seems a lot of people have creaking noise problems and just live with it,
so I'll try to ignore the noises in the future

Cheers,
Arnaud.

On 08/06/2004 13:05, Simon Brooke wrote:

in message , Arnaud
') wrote:


Hi,

The stem on my Cannondale T800 is creaking when I twist the handlebar
along the stem axis (when riding hard for example). The bolts are
already very tight so I don't think the problem comes from that.


My Cannondale (Jekyll) stem (or handlebar) also creaks horribly under
similar circumstances. I had honestly not thought of grease to cure it,
but I may try. Let us know how you get on.